Avon Nutraeffects Illuminating Day Cream SPF 20
64/100 overall score
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About this sunscreen
Avon Nutraeffects Illuminating Day Cream is a brightening moisturizer with SPF 20 from older chemical filters: homosalate, octocrylene, octisalate and avobenzone. It leaves a balanced, lightweight finish with low white cast, though the dated filters can sting sensitive eyes and SPF 20 is on the lower side. Protection is rated good for daily city wear, and the score of 63.9/100 marks it as a moisturizer with light sun protection.
Ingredient & SPF scores
☀️
UV protection
Good
57
- +12 Homosalate at #2, UV filter
- +15.2 Octocrylene at #4, UV filter
- +7.6 Ethylhexyl Salicylate at #5, UV filter
- +28.5 Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane at #6, UV filter (UVA1 +15.2)
- ×0.9 Limited long-UVA1 coverage
☢️
Health safety
Medium
46
- +100 Starting score
- −40 Homosalate at #2 (regulatory/evidence concern)
- −10.5 Octocrylene at #4, stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- −3.5 Avobenzone at #6, stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
🤧
Allergens
Low
67
- +100 Starting score
- −18 Fragrance
- −12 Opaque "Fragrance", hidden allergens that can't be checked from the label
- −3 Photoallergen-tail UV filters (Octocrylene)
👻
White cast
Low
98
- +100 Starting score
- −2 Titanium Dioxide as pigment (CI 77891) at #33
🔥
Eye sting
Medium
46
- +100 Starting score
- −16 Avobenzone at #6, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −15 Octocrylene at #4, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −9 Homosalate at #2, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −6 Octisalate at #5, migrates into eyes with sweat
- −8 Fragrance
🪨
Heavy feel
Low
95
- +100 Starting score
- −5 Butyrospermum Parkii Fruit at #12, butter/occlusive fat
🍄
Fungal acne
Medium
65
- +100 Starting score
- −12 1 polysorbate/sorbitan emulsifiers that feed Malassezia (Polysorbate 60)
- −14 1 oils/butters that feed Malassezia (Butyrospermum Parkii Fruit)
- −9 1 long-chain (C12+) esters that feed Malassezia (Glyceryl Stearate)
👕
Fabric stains
High
30
- +100 Starting score
- −45 Avobenzone at #6, reacts with iron in wash water into rust-yellow stains
- −15 Octocrylene at #4, co-stains alongside avobenzone
- −10 Avobenzone + Octocrylene, the classic staining pair
💧
Moisture
Hydrating
LightNourishing
- ← 1.5 1 sebum-absorbing powders (Polymethyl Methacrylate)
- ← 1 Volatile carriers flash off, leaving a dry finish
- → 16 Glycerin at #3, the anchor humectant
- → 2 1 emollient lipids (Butyrospermum Parkii Fruit)
- → 0.5 1 fatty-alcohol emollients (Cetyl Alcohol)
✨
Finish
Balanced
MatteDewy
- ← 1 1 sebum-absorbing powders (Polymethyl Methacrylate)
- ← 1 Volatile carriers flash off, leaving a dry finish
- → 3 1 emollient lipids (Butyrospermum Parkii Fruit)
💄
Makeup base
Okay
PillsPrimer
- ← 1.5 Gel polymers prone to pilling under friction (Carbomer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer)
- ← 2 Occlusives/waxes float the foundation
- ← 7 Humectant syrup tackiness
🌊
Water resistance
Not resistant
Non-water-resistantWater-resistant
Nothing flagged in the ingredient list.
How we rate water resistance →Full ingredient list (33)
What each ingredient does and how it moves each rating: green helps, red hurts, ↑ / ↓ give the direction, and ← / → shift a slider toward its ends (finish, moisture, makeup base). Auto-derived from our scoring rules and the ingredient's position.
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1 Water
Solvent base, the water phase
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Legacy UV filter (Homosalate), high in the list, a primary filter
- ↑ 12 UV protection
- ↑ 9 migrates into eyes with sweat
-
3 Glycerin
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 16 → nourishing the anchor humectant
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Legacy UV filter (Octocrylene)
- ↑ 15.2 UV protection
- ↓ 10.5 stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- ↑ 15 migrates into eyes with sweat
- ↑ 15 co-stains alongside avobenzone
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Legacy UV filter (Octisalate)
- ↑ 7.6 UV protection
- ↑ 6 migrates into eyes with sweat
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Legacy UV filter (Avobenzone)
- ↑ 28.5 UV protection, incl. long-UVA (UVA1)
- ↓ 3.5 stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- ↑ 16 migrates into eyes with sweat
- ↑ 45 reacts with iron in wash water into rust-yellow stains
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
-
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
-
Fatty alcohol, an emollient and thickener, not the drying kind
- 0.5 → nourishing fatty-alcohol emollient
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Soothing, skin-conditioning active
-
Botanical extract
- ↑ 5 butter/occlusive fat
- 2 → nourishing emollient lipid
- 3 → dewy emollient lipid
- ↑ 14 feeds malassezia
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
-
Supporting ingredient
-
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 9 feeds malassezia
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
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17 Tromethamine
pH adjuster
-
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
-
Mattifying powder, absorbs oil and blurs the finish
- light ← 1.5 sebum-absorbing powder
- matte ← 1 sebum-absorbing powder
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20 Fragrance
Fragrance
-
21 Carbomer
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
-
Chelator, binds stray metal ions to keep the formula stable
-
Volatile hydrocarbon, flashes off for a light finish
- light ← 1 volatile carrier, flashes off
- matte ← 1 volatile carrier, flashes off
-
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
-
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
-
Supporting ingredient
-
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 12 feeds malassezia
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Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
-
Supporting ingredient
-
Supporting ingredient
-
Botanical extract
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32 Mica
Colorant or pigment
-
Colorant or pigment
Is the Avon Nutraeffects Illuminating Day Cream SPF 20 or a day cream?
It is a brightening day cream with SPF 20 built in. Protection is rated good for daily city wear, but the SPF 20 level is on the lower side for heavy sun.
Is the Avon Nutraeffects Illuminating Day Cream SPF 20 mineral or chemical?
It is chemical, using homosalate, octocrylene, octisalate and avobenzone. There are no mineral filters in the formula.
Does it leave a white cast?
No, white cast is low and the finish is balanced and lightweight, though the older filters can sting sensitive eyes.